Nearly three in five women aged 25 and older have no life insurance at all, worrying research from Aegon has indicated. The What Really Matters Report from Aegon UK revealed how women aged 25 and over, and mothers of under 18 year olds in particular, do not have protection cover.more

Nearly 650,000 UK workers call in sick each week, according to figures from the British Heart Foundation’s Health at Work programme. This means that up to 2% of the workforce are absent due to illness each week.

Life insurance payouts up to 96% at Bright Grey

05 March 2010 / by Rachael Stiles

Life insurance provider Bright Grey has announced that the proportion of claims that were successfully paid out reached 96 per cent in 2009.

The average payout for life insurance claims at bright Grey last year was £92,000, the protection specialist has revealed.

But, it adds, in addition to financial support, Bright Grey also offers emotional support for the bereaved with its Helping Hand service.

Unlike similar services through the NHS, or specialist bereavement charities, where waiting lists can mean lengthy delays for relatives of the deceased to get the support they need, but with Bright Grey's Helping Hand service, a counsellor can be available within several days.

A fully qualified nurse can also be made available, to offer professional advice, reassurance and coping strategies.

Kevin Stevens, head of sales at Bright Grey life insurance, said that whilst life insurance premiums have become cheaper, customers and advisors should consider more than the price.

"Rates are cheaper than they have ever been, but advisers shouldn't let the issue of price cloud their judgement when advising on life insurance," he said. "The single most important factor clients should be interested in when buying life insurance is whether it will pay out or not. So it makes sense that enormous consideration is given to providers' claims paid statistics.

"Beyond the statistics, another big consideration is the level of service claimants receive and how smoothly the claims process is. So, in order to really treat customers fairly and provide the best possible advice, advisers really need to compare providers and base their recommendations on this essential information."